Insomnia - Medical DQ?

I have been struggling with insomnia for the past 2 weeks, and I was wondering if this would medically disqualify me if I were to take over-the-counter medication such as melatonin for it? I have not seen a doctor about this yet, since I'm not sure if I would be DQ'd for this. I am hoping to get a NROTC/AFROTC scholarship next year, when I will be a HS senior. I have still been able to function relatively well in daily activities; I've just been a bit slow in thinking and having difficulty concentrating - otherwise, nothing too drastic.

Not a medical expert. But if your symptom is not permanent and has not been a reoccurring incident but more recent it can be stress related. I would wait it out before reporting. Ask your doctor about the cause. If it’s recent it may be more to do with a sudden surge in stress than from something deeper. Prolonged Insomnia can be a problem if condition worsens and doesn’t change. Go through a discovery to find out what’s causing it and try to avoid or eliminate the cause. And begin the process of change in your lifestyle to support a healthier daily regiment. Look into your diet supplements that can help reduce stress.

Chronic insomnia as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fifth Edition, or the use of medications or other substances to promote sleep 15 or more times over the past year.

Avoid a diagnosis in line with DSSM-V and any sleep-promoting substances if you are worried. A lot of folks have poor sleep hygeine that slowly causes insomnia. If you have the time, focus on improving your sleep hygeine and it very well could resolve.

Key takeaways: "...Study results are mixed on whether melatonin is effective for insomnia in adults, but some studies suggest it may slightly reduce the time it takes to fall asleep."

"In adults. A 2013 analysis of 19 studies of people with primary sleep disorders found that melatonin slightly improved time to fall asleep, total sleep time, and overall sleep quality. In a 2007 study of people with insomnia, aged 55 years or older, researchers found that prolonged-release melatonin significantly improved quality of sleep and morning alertness"

Unless the OP is >55 years old (which would make this a moot topic as 27 is the age cutoff unless prior-E), "slightly improved time to fall asleep" and "may slightly reduce the time it takes to fall asleep" are pretty weak descriptions of something that could be considered a disqualifying use of a sleep-promoting substance. It sounds to me more like Melatonin might shorten the amount of time to fall asleep.

Insomnia, as defined by DSM-V, is much more than that-- Diagnostic code 780.52 (G47.00)-- look it up for yourself.

Regardless-- if you are worried about a DQ, then from the DODI, it appears you (a) should not take it more than 15 times in a year, and (b) you should not get a diagnosis of chronic insomnia in-line with DSM-V's definition (meaning diagnosed insomnia lasting >1 month in a row).

FutureCadet, CrewDad's advice is spot-on. Focus on stress reduction, improving sleep hygiene, physical fitness, etc. If it doesn't improve and the lack of sleep starts to seriously affect your health, then find a doctor, and be upfront with them about your ROTC application and you desire to avoid anything that might DQ you. Hopefully, they will respect that and find the best-fit solution for you.